Targue Attack

But as he’d moved the other Targue sunk teeth brutally into his forearm gripping the first one.

He shouted in pain. Slapping a palm to its cheek and lowering his head as he focused his energy in waves. His movement so rapid that it didn’t have a chance to react. He forced images of the horrible things he’d seen Targue do into its head. Images of the people they’d killed. The suffering they’d wreaked.

Images of me snapping Falacia Marclle’s neck because they left her torn and dying. And the pain it’d caused me to do so.

The Targue whimpered shrilly and collapsed to one front knee. Loosening its grip on his injured harm.

He pulled it free and touched the other cheek of the beast. Pinning its head in his hands. Now he summoned all the feelings of pain he’d felt from victims over the centuries. An ability his immortality had gifted him to pick up on the pain of other beings. He forced it into the Targue’s mind with the ferocity of a hammered spike.

Its mind softened under the onslaught of pained images and the swell of emotions it hadn’t felt since it was human. Making its mind easier to probe. He drew out every happy memory he could find.

This Targue had been a young woman. A kind housemaid that’d felt no one noticed her.

Radix had promised he’d make her beautiful.

Now she’s beautiful only to him.

She had helped take care of her little brother. She could remember his happy smiles. His laughter when she pinned him down and tickled him.

Even no the sound of his laughter made her heart melt.

“There you are. Susannah. I’ve found you.”

“What?” Serdephe watched the scene in shock.

“Her name is Susannah.” He opened his hands. Pulling them from her face. And slowly backing up.

The Targue rose. Shaking her head to shake away the disorientation.

Susannah blinked slowly at them and Tev noted the softer shade of her eyes. The slow way her eyelids closed, and she tilted her head.

Mannerisms they can’t fake.

She’s changed.

“What’s happened?” Serdephe asked urgently.

“Sometimes they can change. Sometimes they can become something else.”

“Like my demon dogs?” Ser guessed.

“Yes. And Burka.”

My Sarabi.

“How does it work?” Luca asked in awe.

“I offer them the pain of Cimmerii victims. I don’t tell them what they’ll become or talk about the path to evil that they’re on. I show it to them. They feel it. If they’ve happy memories of being human I pull those back to the forefront.”

“So…Essentially you rearrange their mind?” Luca asked.

“It’s more an effect on their beliefs. And desires. But it doesn’t always work. Sometimes its like Susannah here. Immediate and impactful.”

“And other times?” Ser asked.

“It doesn’t work at all or it can be awhile for it to take.”